2015-07-09:TheNativesAreRestless

The Natives Are Restless
They're not particularly interested in me or you
IC Date	July 9, 2015
IC Time	Mid-afternoon
Players	Rodrigo, Clara, Maria, Sterling
Location	Lost in Time Market

Begin Log

It's another busy day of another busy week, in the Dreaming as well as that humdrum place where certain shady characters were born and raised. People headed to market, for instance-- but only a few of the trade goods there actually sprout legs and walk themselves where they need to go. Others are transported by foot, or steed, or sometimes even wheeled carts with actual engines. Well, that one cart /was/ moving just fine until a minute ago, when one of the wheels decided it'd rather be triangular instead. "Oh, come /on/!" Rodrigo mutters, hopping out and giving it a vicious kick with one stilt. "The fuck am I feeding you for, anyway?"

Clara enters with her hand upon Sterling's arm, smiling up at the silver haired man "I am so happy you took today off Rick, thank you"

Coming up the road from the same direction Rodrigo was traveling is a short brunette girl. She has an old olive drab army knapsack over one shoulder, and a German shepherd is darting about back and forth across the road, smelling this and that, and generally behaving like a big, happy dog. Maria's hair and clothing and the knapsack are all covered with flowers, as if she took a roll down a flowery hill and they all decided to stick to her. Which is nice for fragrance, but can make it difficult to see when they dangle in front of her eyes. Maria shakes her head, dislodging a few flowers and seeing the cart ahead. She makes her way over there, the dog running ahead to sniff towards Rodrigo and the cart.

Sterling comes ambling along with Clara, smiling down at her lovingly. "Glad I am that I was able find the time, my lady," he says fondly. "It's always nice to get away from the Autumn World for a time, isn't it? And soon, it shall be our first anniversary." He bends down to press a kiss to her cheek, before looking up and around. "Zounds. We're not alone," he says, looking around at the others.

Clara tips her cheek to the kiss and smiles brightly, looking about "Ah so nice to see people gathered here again" she lifts a hand to wave at those gathered

The thing about nockers? Their bitching and moaning is actually load-bearing. Well, some of it is, other times they're just getting away with shit. In any case, while the wheel stubbornly refuses to go circular again, it does at least grudgingly poke out a couple more corners. "Close enough," he mutters, putting a flattened hand up and looking to the south-ish. "Might still get there 'fore it gets dark." He waves to Maria and her faithful companion as he spots them, and to the other pair as well. "Hey, man, how's it hanging?"

Sterling looks to Rodrigo, noting the nocker's difficulties. "It hangs well, master nocker, thank you," he says. He nods to the cart. "Can we be of some assistance? I fear I've little mechanical aptitude. My skills lie more towards fixing ailing bodies than damaged carts. But if an extra set of hands would be of use to you, I am glad to offer them."

The dog dances about animatedly as Rodrigo waves that way. The big canine's tail is wagging about happily, facing the others as he waits for Maria to catch up to him. The diminutive girl brushes more flowers off, starting to look less like a Mardi Gras float and more like a girl again. She leaves two daisies in her hair though as she ventures over to where the cart is. "Good day," Maria says, bowing her head towards the Kithian in a respectful way. She reaches down, petting the German shepherd's neck, keeping him out of the way. "If there's anything I can do to help...?" she offers as well.

Maria adds a soft, "Milord," when she gets a better look at Sterling, and drops a curtsey as well.

Clara laughs softly at Sterling's reply to rodrigo and nods her hello to him. Catching Maria's glance the lady receives a smile also

"It is, ain't it?" Rodrigo answers Maria, deciding to get out again and lift up that side of the cart. "Yeah, just till it finishes inflating?" he calls over to Sterling--

--right before an arrow whizzes through the air, missing his face by less than a hand's breadth. "The /fuck/?" he calls out, dropping the cart again (it continues lumbering southward at a herky jerky pace) and whirling around to see what's going on.

Claras fingers clutch at Sterling's sleeve and looks for where the arrow came from "Someone hunting without due care?

Sterling chuckles softly, pressing his fist to his heart and offering Maria a nod in return to her curtsey. "Young miss. A pleasure," he says. He looks back to Rodrigo as the nocker assures him that all is well--and then an arrow goes streaking by. Taking a step back, he puts one arm around Clara's shoulders. The other draws his sword with a ring of chimerical steel. "Who goes there?" he calls. "Who dares assault the Shining Host? Stand, blackguards, and declare yourselves!" His eyes flicker to the shadows along the path, looking for any sign of the attacker.

Maria offers a soft, warm smile at the greeting from Sterling and Rodrigo. But then the teen sees the arrow fly past and she and the German shepherd move together, going over to put a tree between herself and the direction the arrow came from. She peeks around it, trying to spot the source. The dog's fur is up along his back, tail down and tucked between his legs as he must sense the emotion in the people.

Rodrigo spots them after a moment, reaching down to unstrap his stilts and hop down to grab the back of the cart and put the brakes on. It works, more or less, and puts some larger objects between him and the highway robbers. Also, there are highway robbers! Half a baker's dozen of 'em, lizard men barely taller than the nocker, mounted on squat goats with sharpened horns. "That's ours now!" the leader calls out, gesturing toward some of the trade goods. The other riders chime in as well, hissing and gesturing with clawed hands. "So is that!" "And that one, too!"

Claras eyes widen and she draws back behind Sterling, half in fear but soon her green eyes burn with frustrated anger, knowing she cant fight here "Rick

(ed: Clara was pregnant at the time of this scene)

Sterling looks around at the highwaymen, a scowl darkening his features. Ocean-blue eyes darkening to flinty blue as he draws himself up to his full height, the legendary fury of his kith lending dread weight to his countenance. "By the Gates of Horn and Ivory! Common highwaymen? -Here-? I shall not permit this!" He levels his blade at the leader of the bunch, the cool moonlight skating along its length to twinkle briefly before winking out. "I am Lord Richard Sterling ap Fiona, you knaves, and I shall not suffer these good folk to be preyed upon by the likes of -you-! Get you gone, villains, or you'll taste my steel!"

Maria sees the battle that might be about to take place. She grabs the dog, guiding him away through the trees, the unarmed kinain not the one to fight such bandits apparently. She's small and quiet, and girl and dog manage to get away it seems.

Clara steps back slowly as her Husband steps forward, blade bared. The kin's green eyes fix hard upon one of the lizard men with dreadful concentration

The villains? Do not get them gone. Instead they charge forward, clearly aiming to make good on their word by strength of numbers and ammo. Far left and right loose some more arrows, while the leader leads from the front, tilting forward and going for ramming speed. Rodrigo, meanwhile, is dragging the cart /backward/ now, though a couple of the wheels still cling stubbornly to the ground.

Sterling lifts his blade high. "Heigh-ho Quicksilver! AWAY!" he thunders. His crimson Glamour surges, lending speed to his feet and arm. Moving remarkably quickly for a man of his stature, he leaps out to meet the charging masses. "AMOR VINCIT OMNES!" he roars, one of House Fiona's many battle-cries, as he lays into the lizards. Being a doctor has its uses--he knows where to strike to cause painful wounds that won't be immediately fatal. A flick of the wrist here, a slash to a knee there. His sword flashing in the moonlight as it sings the song of war.

Clara gathers herself and tries again to strike as many of the lizardmen as she can, wanting to protect her husband

Claras hard green eyes lock on one charging lizard man, her telepathy forcing Days of our Lives into his brain, the really overly dramatic parts, filled with passionate words and slamming doors

Robin Frilled Hood and his Merry Newts have pretty good aim. Considering that both they and their targets are in rapid motion, they have to. The arrows aimed at Sterling and Rodrigo fly wide of their targets; one whiffs right by Clara's arm but only leaves a scratch, while Maria takes one to the knee and sinks down into the muck for a moment.

They're good. The heroes are better.

Just as they're reaching over toward their quivers, the flanklizards go down nearly in unison. One's saddle inexplicably comes unbuckled, and as his goat trips over it, they both go down in a heap. One of those horns glistens emerald as it jams clean through his chest. Another one brings his hand up to his forehead, shouting "How /could/ you?" and sailing forward on his own as his mount slams into a rocky outcropping. So that would be Clara's victim, then.

Rodrigo sends one of the crates sailing through the air, the leader bailing as it slams into his goat, causing it to explode into a cloud of ten thousand ants that promptly start chowing down on his lieutenant. And with Sterling continuing to do a, well, sterling impression of a Cuisinart? It's the beginning of the end, and the end of theend probably won't take long, either.

Sterling dodges and skips, the power of his faerie magic keeping him one step ahead of the lizards and their claws. With deadly grace and speed, he hews down his attackers. Missing, for a moment, the leader creeping up behind him. Until Clara's own gifts take ahold, sending the lizard into a screaming Tizzy about how Robert had BETRAYED him and Susie wasn't REALLY dead, and it was time for the whole world to know that he had loved Thomas ALL ALONG. With a grin, he brings the flat of his blade down atop the leader's head, knocking him to the ground. "Hah! Anyone else?" he thunders looking around with his sword at the ready. Seeing that the lizards are either routed, wounded, or bemoaning this week's twist of melodramatic fate, he wipes his blade clean on a patch of grass and sheaths it, before going to see to Rodrigo and his cart.

Okay, well, /that/ was exciting! Rodrigo will have a badass war story to tell his wife when he rejoins her later. There's still more work to be done first, though. Belatedly nailing the cart down with an emergency twist clamp, he runs over to check on Maria. "Woman down!" he calls over to Sterling, who is no doubt able to get her fixed up again in short order so she can go back about her business.

---

End Log